


Oh! You Pretty Thing

by roonilbwazlib



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Canon-Compliant, Fancy Dress, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Halloween, Hogwarts Fifth Year, M/M, Post-Canon, spoopy, trick or treat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:20:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27067033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roonilbwazlib/pseuds/roonilbwazlib
Summary: It’s 2021, Albus and Scorpius are in fifth year, and Headmistress McGonagall has surprised the student body by allowing some school-sanctioned mischief to go down over Halloween. It’s all fun and games until someone takes the idea of Trick Or Treat too far, resulting in both Albus and Scorpius getting the wrong end of the stick about a very important matter. Have they done the unthinkable and ruined their friendship forever, or will they come out of the other side stronger (and closer) than ever?Featuring bats, Boggarts and more David Bowie than you’d expect from a canon-compliant one-shot!
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 16
Kudos: 83





	Oh! You Pretty Thing

**Author's Note:**

> I don't have much to say about this other than it's about four times as long as I expected it to be, and I'm still not really sure how that happened...?! 
> 
> There's a small plot, but tbh it's mostly self-indulgent fluff born from headcanoning what Albus and Scorpius might dress up as for Halloween - I especially love my idea for Scorpius, and am so interested to know what you all think they'd be! Please leave me a comment at the end with your ideas :) 
> 
> (Just as an FYI, there's a fair few original characters floating around in this, but none have a huge role - so don't worry about remembering names or relationships! Everyone is just there to move the plot forward and facilitate the fun and games)
> 
> (Oh, and I've taken a few liberties both with Boggarts themselves and with Lily's timeline - the first for fluff purposes and the latter because it just fit better for background reasons! Lily is only a year younger than Al in this, but it doesn't have any canon-repercussions as her age is a bit of a blink and you miss it moment anyway)

“This year, in light of the past struggles we have collectively experienced around this particular holiday, we have decided to add a fun new element to the Hogwarts Halloween Feast.”

Headmistress McGonagall paused, glancing around the Hall at the rapt faces of the students below. Most looked excited; a few, Albus and Scorpius amongst them, slightly abashed. Aside from their own misadventures, they were both aware of how much havoc had been wrecked around Halloween in their parents school days - Uncle Ron was particularly fond of retelling the moment he saved Aunt Hermione from an “incredibly vicious troll.”

Clearing her throat to ensure she had everyone’s attention, McGonagall continued. 

“We will therefore be encouraging students to dress in any manner of their choosing next week, on the 31st October. Although, whilst we appreciate creativity, costumes should not endanger other students’ lives or livelihoods, and should not cause undue damage to any structure or item within Hogwarts. Otherwise, your imaginations are, as they say, the limit.”

An eager rustling broke out as students turned to their friends and whispered together, eyes wide and heads bent across tables. McGonagall coughed again, and silence fell.

“We will also be allowing students to take part in a good natured game that some of you may already be familiar with, called Trick & Treat. Muggle children traditionally use it as a way of letting their hair down and having fun with their friends, but as with your costumes, neither tricks nor treats should hurt nor damage a fellow student or any part of the castle. My esteemed colleagues -” she swept her arm behind her, indicating the rest of the Hogwarts staff, “- will be watching very carefully and closely, and will immediately halt any trick or treat they deem unsavoury or unsuitable. The aim of this game is to lighten the mood, let off some steam and put your charms skills to the test, whilst enjoying yourselves in a _safe manner_.”

She narrowed her eyes, lingering on Padraig Finnegan-Thomas.

“The game of Trick & Treat will begin at 8am on the morning of the 31st October, and end at 8pm when the feast is due to begin. All students must continue going to all of their classes and complete all of their homework, and no trick or treat should interfere with anybody's personal lives or studies or have any lasting, permanent effects.”

This time, Albus could have sworn her eyes settled on him.

“I must also stress that the use of any Weasleys Wizard Wheezes product, as part of a trick or a treat, is strictly prohibited. _No exceptions_.”

Albus heard a snort that sounded distinctly James-shaped, and from the way McGonagall’s mouth twitched, he suspected she’d heard it too. However, that seemed to be the end of her announcement as she stepped down from the podium and took her seat back at the teachers table, gesturing to the students that they were free to go when they’d finished their puddings.

Scorpius was physically vibrating on the Slytherin bench, jelly and ice cream forgotten. He grabbed Albus’s wrist in his hand as he stood up, his eyes shining. 

“Can you believe it, Albus? I feel like the childhood I never had has finally arrived! I’ve never done fancy dress before! And the Trick & Treat game sounds so fun - do you think there’ll be lots of sweets? I do hope nobody takes the trick element too far, I mean I love a good joke but it won’t be funny if people start being mean again will it, but I’m sure they won’t, oh I can’t wait -”

Albus couldn’t help but laugh at how enthused Scorpius was. His dad and his Aunt Hermione had both grown up around Muggles so the concept of fancy dress and Trick & Treat wasn’t new to him, but he could see why Scorpius loved the idea. His friend was fascinated by Muggle culture and this opportunity seemed to offer the best of both worlds - a Muggle tradition given a magical edge. 

He could also see why McGonagall had decided to introduce it this year; she really wasn’t as big a stick in the mud as some students thought, and she’d know that something like this would be a perfect distraction from what had gone down last Halloween.

“So who are you going to dress up as? What did you do when you were little? What should I be? Shall we match?”

Scorpius was still talking a mile a minute as they walked out through the Entrance Hall and turned down the passageway leading to the Slytherin dungeons.

“Er, I’ll probably just be Spiderman” Albus shrugged, remembering the superhero onesie he’d trotted out every time he went Trick & Treating with his siblings and cousins. “James was obsessed with Marvel films when he was younger, he always used to be Iron Man. One year he tried to make Lily be Black Widow but she refused and insisted on being the Hulk.”

Albus smiled at the memory; seeing his tiny little sister in a Muggle Hulk costume that was six times too big for her had made him laugh so much at the time he’d got hiccups.

“Oh yes, those Soup Heroes that were on the tee vee when I came over at Easter? Shall I be one too?”

“SUPER heroes Scorpius, not soup. And I dunno, who do you want to be? Wouldn’t you rather go as someone or something you know? You could be anyone, it doesn’t have to be a Muggle.”

They reached their dorms and Albus flopped back on his bed, scooting his legs up so Scorpius could sit on the end.

“Hmm. I’m not sure. I’ll have a think. Will you help me with my costume when I decide?”

“Sure, or we can get Lily to help. She’s really good at sewing and all those kinds of charms now. She even did a whole cross stitch by hand over the summer, no magic at all.”

Scorpius smiled and settled down, shrugging off his cloak and letting it slide down onto the floor.

“It’s cool, isn’t it, how Muggles have always dressed up as witches and wizards on Halloween and now we’re going to be dressing up like them. And playing their game! I wonder what they’d say if they knew.”

“Well, let’s not go breaking the Statute of Secrecy again Scorp, I think travelling back in time and resurrecting Voldemort last Halloween was quite enough shenanigans from the two of us.”

They looked at each other and for a split second, the ghost of what they’d done and how far they’d gone flitted across both their faces. Then, the moment was broken, and they each dissolved into a fit of giggles, Scorpius almost joining his cloak when he laughed so hard he rolled perilously close to the edge of the bed.

*****

Lily caught up with them the next morning on the way to breakfast, poking Albus in the side as she came down the steps from the Gryffindor dorm.

“Hey Al, James wants to know if you’re gonna be Spiderman again for Halloween and if so, do you want him to get you a costume when he goes to London at the weekend?”

“James is going to London at the weekend? Why? How?” 

“Shhh!” Lily replied, glancing around and gesturing for him to lower his voice. Albus stopped, wracking his brain to see if he’d forgotten anything. He and James weren’t exactly close yet, but they got on better than they had in years and Albus was sure James would have told him if he had something important planned.

“We’ve got to keep it on the ‘down low’ apparently” she said, rolling her eyes and doing air quotes around ‘down low’. “Apparently Lorcan and Lysander have discovered a bit of Hogsmeade that missed the Apparition Alert charm McGonagall set, so students can Apparate in and out. James and Padraig are going to try it at the weekend and go to London for Padraig’s birthday.”

Albus pulled a face, not wanting to admit how intrigued he was as this was exactly the type of thing that would have McGonagall cancelling the entire Halloween plan.

“Er, well, OK? I guess? If he finds a Spiderman suit I can fit into then I can pay him back.”

“Cool, I’ll let him know. He’d have asked you himself but he’s still in the Common Room, apparently he forgot he had an essay due today so is skipping breakfast to try and get it done.”

Albus shook his head, thanking Lily as she swanned off to the Gryffindor table and he and Scorpius made their way over to the far side of the Hall.

“I can’t believe James,” he said as he sat down, swinging his legs over the bench. “Mum will go spare if she finds out he’s been to London.”

“Do you think we should tell someone? About the gap in the protective charm?” Scorpius sat down next to Albus, looking worried and picking at his nails. “If James and Padraig can get out, that means that someone could get in. Isn’t it a security risk for the school?”

“Nah,” Albus reasoned, buttering a slice of toast, “because adults already can Apparate in and out of Hogsmeade can’t they? It’s just students that the charm stops. So students won’t be coming in, they’re already here. And Hogwarts itself has more protection anyway, the Hogsmeade barrier is just an extra safety thing.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” said Scorpius, choosing a bowl and ladelling himself some porridge. “I didn’t think of that. I’m just a bit of a worry wart, after…” he trailed off.

“After Delphi. It’s OK Scorp, you can say her name,” Albus said gently, squeezing Scorpius’s arm. 

Scorpius looked down at Albus’s hand then back up at his face, smiling gratefully. 

“I know. Sorry. I just don’t want to upset you.”

“You could never upset me” Albus smiled, nudging his friend. “Now eat your porridge before it gets cold. You know how much you hate it when it gets all gluey.”

They ate quickly as Scorpius wanted to drop a book back at the library before their first class, and Albus knew they’d need at least an extra ten minutes for Scorpius to choose another text whilst he was there. It was physically impossible for the youngest Malfoy to leave a library without a new tome under his arm, and somehow he still managed to find books he hadn’t read even though they were now in their fifth year.

Sure enough, Scorpius’s satchel ended up almost splitting under the weight of his new choices, none of which had anything to do with the subjects they were actually studying. Albus shook his head fondly as Scorpius dragged his bag behind him on the way to Defence. He thought Scorpius was ridiculous, but he would never complain. Some of his favourite evenings were the ones in which they both curled up on the sofa after everyone else had gone to bed, Scorpius reading and Albus doodling, the embers of the fire flicking and Scorpius’s feet resting on Albus’s thighs.

Albus had known he felt more than friendship towards Scorpius for some time now - years, in fact, if he thought about it properly - and although he’d done a pretty good job at keeping it a secret from absolutely everybody, he allowed himself to enjoy the times where they’d get especially close. They’d always been tactile with each other, touching and hugging and tickling and nudging, so luckily nobody thought it was weird when they snuggled up or fluffled each others’ hair or occasionally fell asleep in each others’ beds. 

Albus didn’t think he could cope with someone questioning them, as it would force him to address whatever was going on and he couldn’t risk losing Scorpius completely if Scorpius found out how he felt. Sometimes, his heart leapt and his mind wandered when he thought he saw his own crush reflected in Scorpius’s eyes or actions, but whenever these fleeting moments occurred he’d look away and force the hope down, convincing himself he was only seeing what he wanted so desperately to find.

If a friendship with Scorpius was all that was on the cards for him, then he figured he’d been dealt a pretty special hand. After everything they’d gone through, just having Scorpius here and near him was enough. It’d always be enough. 

*****

Over the next few days, the castle was awash with secrets and rumours and planning and plotting. Groups of friends giggled together in corridors on the way to lessons, and common rooms were filled with whispers and furtive glances. 

People were taking the opportunity to dress up and cause a bit of school sanctioned mayhem very seriously indeed, and despite McGonagall’s warning about Weasleys Wizard Wheezes products, Albus had spotted at least three packages arrive just that morning in the suspiciously nondescript brown paper he knew from his summer job was Uncle George’s default “Hogwarts order” wrapping. 

Aside from their rough plan for James to pick him up a Muggle costume, Albus hadn’t really engaged with any of the preparation so far. He was happy to live a relatively quiet life after the goings on of the past few years, and practical jokes had always been more of an Uncle Ron thing than a him thing. Sometimes Albus thought he’d missed the Weasley genes entirely, and as Uncle George had so helpfully pointed out, if two months surrounded by the most interesting and innovative products in the Northern Hemisphere hadn’t brought it out of him, nothing would.

Scorpius, always a stickler for following the rules, wasn’t exactly planning any tricks himself, but he was still a lot more into the whole thing than Albus. He’d spent a lot of free time over the past few evenings debating who to dress up as, but he still hadn’t come up with anything or anyone he fancied. He shied away from any ideas involving dark colours, masks or cloaks (for obvious reasons), and had said there was no point being someone like Bathilda Bagshot or one of his other literary heroes as no one except Albus would have any idea who he was. 

He’d also admitted to Albus that just once, when he was much younger, his Mum had allowed him to dress up for Halloween after he saw some Muggle children in the nearby village do it, and he’d picked the person he was most obsessed with at the time - Harry Potter. Albus had let out a strangled, half-horrified half-humorous snort, and had told Scorpius that in no uncertain terms would he let his best friend dress up as his dad, so that was also out of the question. 

Albus had heard through the grapevine that Rose was going to be Michelle Obama, the Muggle President’s wife, who she’d actually met a couple of summers ago when Michelle and her husband came to the UK on a Ministry/MACUSA arranged state visit. Aunt Hermione, being Muggleborn, had known exactly how to make the Americans feel at home, and Rose hadn’t stopped talking about how elegant and funny and clever Ms Obama was, and how she was considering asking to do work experience in the Oval Office when she graduated Hogwarts.

Nobody had any idea who Lily was going to be, because she refused to tell anyone, but she was making an entire costume herself so whatever it ended up being she was guaranteed to be amongst the best dressed and most popular in the whole school. Albus was so proud of his sister, if a bit envious of her many talents, but he couldn’t deny that things had definitely got easy for himself and Scorpius since the trials of the previous year. 

They’d both developed a better relationship with their families, and were happier as a result of it - Scorpius had lost some of his in-built nervous energy that came from having to prove himself both to his Dad and because of his Dad, and Albus finally felt like part of the Potters. The other students had been a bit wary of them both at first after they’d returned from Godrics Hollow, but slowly and surely they’d started to strike up friendly conversations with classmates and the other boys in their dorm. 

Scorpius was now so grateful to have everything and everyone ‘back to normal’ that he wanted to soak up as much of their school lives as he possibly could, and Albus was so thankful to have been given a second chance that he’d thrown himself into appreciating what he did have rather than resenting what he didn’t (or thought he didn’t) have. They’d always come first, for each other, but they didn’t only have each other anymore - and if anything, that knowledge made them even closer. 

Even though Albus felt weird about it being the first anniversary of their travels in time, he knew that he’d get through the days ahead with Scorpius at his side and his family behind his back. Costume or no costume, Albus finally felt free and visible, and he was proud of who he was. He no longer wanted or felt the need to hide.

*****

“Al, your brothers making a nuisance of himself outside the common room - can you go see what he wants? He says he has something to give to you, but he won’t let anyone else bring it in.” Magnus Bulstrode popped his head around their dorm, rolling his eyes before retreating.

Albus shuffled off the bed where he and Scorpius had been putting the final touches to their latest Charms essays, smoothing his shirt down where it had rode up.

“I bet it’s the costume,” he whispered to Scorpius, keeping his voice low in case Magnus was still hanging around. “Typical James, making a scene. Why couldn’t he just give it to me at dinner?”

“I guess people might see then, and wonder where he got it,” Scorpius answered, sucking on his quill absent-mindedly. “If he doesn’t even want your House mates to know about the package he wouldn’t hand it over in the middle of the Great Hall.”

“Hmph” Albus grunted, making his way over to the door. James was the absolute worst at keeping secrets, and Albus wouldn’t be surprised if he’d already told half the school where he and Padraig had apparently been today.

He found James lurking halfway up the corridor, a bulky package shoved under his arm. James grinned as soon as he spotted Albus and beckoned his younger brother closer.

“Don’t say I never do anything for you, little bro,” he said, unfurling his arm and holding out the package, which Albus could see was now wrapped in a plastic shopper. “One Spiderman suit direct from the best costumier in London, complete with battery activated web-shooters.”

Albus glanced around them, checking nobody had overheard before grabbing the shopper.

“Thanks. How much do I owe you?”

James waved it off. “No worries, it’s on me.”

“But -” 

Albus tried to argue, but James shook his head.

“It’s fine, I mean it. I earned more than you over summer. And I know you’re only being Spiderman for me anyway.” 

James suddenly looked uncharacteristically bashful, and Albus softened. It was true - Spiderman had been the first and only idea to come in his head, and although he’d never have admitted it out loud, his memories of dressing up with James were some of his happiest. Their dad had always been quiet and a bit sad around this time of year (as Albus had grown up, he’d found out why), and so their mum had always sent them out with Uncle Ron and their cousins whilst they had an evening in together.

“Thanks then. Really. Who did you get? Iron Man again?”

“Of course,” James grinned again, shy moment over. “Who else? He’s the best.”

“If you say so,” Albus teased, wanting to stay in this moment where he and James were apparently getting on well enough to exchange banter. Something which, a year ago, he couldn’t even have imagined. “Wait until I get my - what was it? - battery operated web-shooters out.”

“Yeah, about them….” James drawled, smirking. “I don’t think they’ll actually work in Hogwarts. Batteries don’t, do they? But you might be able to Charm them somehow.”

Albus rolled his eyes dramatically, but smiled a bit so James could tell he didn’t mind.

“James, the entire point of getting this costume was so I didn’t have to put any creative work into it. Lily’s the crafty one, not me.”

“Get her to help then. Or Scorpius, he’s clever. What’s he gonna be anyway? I thought about getting him the Loki costume, but didn’t think his dad would approve.”

“No, definitely not.” Albus attempted to glare, but the thought of Scorpius in Loki’s horned helmet threatened to overwhelm him. Trying not to giggle, he continued. “He doesn’t know yet I don’t think, he can’t make his mind up.”

“Well, he better gets his skates on, Halloween is in three days,” James said, turning to go. “And on that note, I promised I’d help Lily with something for her costume. Gotta run - need to catch the House Elves before dinner!”

James shot off up the corridor before Albus’s brain caught up with what he’d said, and so he didn’t hear the youngest Potter’s confused splutter. House Elves? Surely Lily wasn’t using Elf labour to help make her outfit, after spending 14 years in close proximity to Aunt Hermione?

Shaking his head, Albus made his way back into the Slytherin common room, tucking his costume under his arm the way James had done. He didn’t really care if anyone knew what it was, but he didn’t want anyone asking questions where it had come from. 

He realised as he climbed the stairs that he hadn’t asked James anything about London, or what he and Padraig had got up to other than shopping for costumes. Unusually, James himself hadn’t brought it up, which meant he’d either had a really boring time - unlikely - or he was being deliberately secretive.

Albus supposed he should just be glad both of them had arrived back to Hogwarts in one piece.

*****

Scorpius was sitting on his own bed when Albus pushed open the door to the dorms, reading a letter. His head was bent forward so his hair flopped over his forehead, glowing golden in the dim light of the dungeons. Albus felt the familiar squeeze in his stomach. Scorpius’s hair was so pretty - Scorpius himself was so pretty - and every time he caught Albus off guard like this, Albus needed a few moments to catch his breath back.

Squashing all non-platonic feelings in the bottom of his trunk along with his Spiderman costume, Albus swallowed and prayed his voice sounded normal.

“James got the costume. And gave it to me for free. Guess he’s feeling charitable after his fun day out… What’s your letter about?”

Scorpius startled at the sound of Albus’s voice; he’d clearly been so engrossed in his letter he hadn’t even heard his friend come back.

“Oh, great!” he said, looking up at Albus and smiling. Even though Albus had been gone for ten minutes max, Scorpius’s grin was bright and wide enough to make up for a weeks’ worth of not seeing each other. 

Albus gripped his bedpost and tried to smile back.

“The letter’s from Dad. He found out about this whole Halloween thing from your dad, and he’s written all the usual stuff. Stay safe, don’t do anything stupid, try not to get lost in time again, you know the drill.”

Albus laughed, though there was still a bit too much reality in Draco’s words for either of them to find it properly funny. Maybe one day.

“He also had a really good suggestion for who I could be, well it was an assumption really, he asked if I wanted to borrow one of his more extravagant suits to be David Bowie. He reckons he has a few pieces from his younger days that look Bowie-esque.”

Albus blinked, trying to process the fact that both Scorpius and Draco seemed to know who David Bowie was. And the fact that Draco apparently had a wardrobe to rival the Starman himself. From what Albus knew of Draco, he was a slim fit black robe man for life. Grey pinstripes at a push, or for a special occasion.

Scorpius grinned, correctly interpreting Albus’s gaping expression. 

“You know Bowie was a wizard right? Caused a massive stir back when our parents were kids, almost broke the Statute about fifty times but luckily the Muggles always just put all the weird things he did down to him being an eccentric. Anyway, Mum was a huge fan, and she got Dad into him, and now we listen to him quite a lot. I like it.”

Albus continued to look shell shocked, which just made Scorpius laugh.

“See, you’re not the only one who knows about Muggle culture. Reckon I’d make a good Bowie then?”

Scorpius kneeled up on his bed and held an imaginary guitar, his head thrown back and his hair flipped to one side.

“Err… yeah. Yeah, I think that’d be awesome.” Albus cleared his throat, hating that his voice sounded so gruff. Scorpius hadn’t even got a costume on, for Merlin’s sake, and already the idea of him in make-up and a tight Muggle suit was doing Things to Albus’s brain.

“Yay! That’s decided then,” said Scorpius, sitting back down and looking pleased. “Dad will be glad. I’ll ask him to send through an outfit, and then I guess I could do the zig zag thing on my face? You know, the red lightning that looks a bit like your Dad’s scar but bigger? Loads of people actually wondered whether Bowie was on Voldemort’s side, you know, after Voldemort attacked your dad and the news about the shape of his scar got around - Dad told me. Apparently Grandpa put paid to those rumours though, said a - well, said someone like him would never be welcome on ‘their’ side. Which is a good thing, obviously!”

Albus felt his heart beat somewhere near to normal levels as Scorpius rambled; he could deal with his overexcited, nerdy best friend a lot better than he could deal with his best-friend-impersonating-a-sex-god mental image.

“Lily will definitely be up for doing your face” Albus offered, glad to hear his voice sounded normal again. “We could ask her to meet us here before breakfast, she always gets up at the crack of dawn anyway.”

“Yes! Genius! Thanks, Albus - I could offer to help her with her homework, or collect some treats for her Pygmy Puffs or something -”

“Relax, Scorp, you’re family, you don’t need to pay her back,” Albus interrupted, blushing when he realised what he said. “I just mean - you know Lily loves you - she’d be in her element doing this. Honest.”

Scorpius smiled again, a smaller smile but no less bright. Albus willed his cheeks to cool down. Scorpius was family, at least in his eyes, but thinking down those tracks was a dangerous move. He also didn’t want Scorpius to feel awkward, if the whole idea of being part of Albus’s mad family was too much for him.

“OK. Cool! I’ll ask her. And you’re family too you know, Dad sent you one of these” Scorpius replied, picking up a chocolate frog and throwing it across to Albus. “He says don’t blame him if you get Harry again, he thinks they’re all Harry nowadays.”

Albus caught the frog and held it carefully, feeling strangely touched. He’d always got on well with Draco, but it was only in the past year that he’d felt properly accepted and included by Scorpius’s dad. Draco was now a lot warmer and more affectionate than he used to be, and much more open. Albus had discovered his wicked sense of humour when he’d stayed over at the Manor for a couple of weekends, and they’d often chatted late into the night about Potions and Quidditch and Hogwarts, no longer requiring Scorpius to referee them.

As Albus sat down on his bed and started peeling open his frog, Scorpius came over and climbed in next to him, already halfway through his own. They stayed there for the rest of the evening, skipping dinner to munch their frogs and read and chat and laugh, their essays laying abandoned and forgotten on the floor beside them.

*****

Two days later, excitement across all school year groups had reached a fever pitch. Seventh years were just as giddy as first years, and during the past 48 hours more than one student had shown up to class with strangely coloured hair, permanent make-up and, in Jamar Jordan’s case, a whole extra limb as a result of costume prep gone wrong. Every time Albus spotted Headmistress McGonagall her lips seemed even thinner and her hair even greyer, and Albus wondered if she regretted her decision.

Either way, it appeared that Hogwarts would be embracing the season like never before, and even the decorations in the castle were upgraded to match the renewed fervour around Halloween. Pumpkins the size of a small child filled every nook and cranny of the Great Hall, live bats swooped and squeaked down corridors, and out in the grounds, Hagrid had been spotted gathering firewood and piling it up into the biggest bonfire Albus had ever seen. 

There was to be a firework display after the Feast, followed by a performance from the Headless Hunt on the Quidditch Pitch for all who wished to join. Nearly Headless Nick had been heard sniffing and grumbling about it at breakfast that morning, professing his certainty that no loyal Gryffindor would be seen dead there. The Gryffindors around him had studiously avoided his eye as they’d shaken with silent laughter at his obviously unintentional and extremely fitting pun. 

Albus and Scorpius were just finishing their lunch when Rose marched up to them, her mouth set in a grim line.

“Uh oh” Albus nudged Scorpius as Rose came closer. “This doesn’t look good.”

Scorpius turned, clocked Rose and immediately panicked, coughing up the last bite of his apple crumble. Albus grimaced; whilst Scorpius had finally given up on his long standing crush before the summer break, it was still embarrassing to be caught literally spitting out your food in front of someone.

“Albus, Scorpius” Rose said as she reached them, tactfully ignoring Scorpius’s hurried attempts to clean his jumper. “Have you spoken to James at all recently?”

“Errrr….” Albus replied, not sure if this was a trap. “I saw him on Saturday for like, five minutes. He sorted me out with a costume but we didn’t exactly stop and chat.”

“Brought you a costume from London, you mean?” Rose said, crossing her arms and looking unimpressed. 

“...Yeah.” Albus answered, seeing no point in lying. He was honestly surprised that this seemed to be news to Rose, she usually knew exactly what was going on with everybody - especially her own family.

“Did he tell you what else he got down there?”

“No?” Again, Albus was glad he could be honest. Rose was scary when she got mad, and had definitely inherited her mother's interrogation skills.

“Damn,” Rose sighed, uncrossing her arms and frowning. “I thought he might have let it slip to you. I’ve been trying to find out what he’s hiding all morning. Him and Padraig have been acting super weirdly since the weekend, sneaking around and using your dad’s cloak even more than usual.”

“Is that weird? James always sneaks around, and he loves that cloak. They’re probably just planning a trick for tomorrow.”

“That’s what worries me,” said Rose. “I was on Prefect duty last night and I caught him hanging around outside an unused classroom on the fifth floor twice. If he’s planning to - to - blow up the school or - or set a dragon loose or -”

“A dragon?” Albus couldn’t help but laugh, even though making fun of Rose whilst she was worried or in a temper was usually a very bad idea. “Why would James keep a dragon in a classroom? Where would he even have got it from? And I don’t think even he’d go as far as blowing up the school, not when he’s captaining the Gryffindor team this year. He wouldn’t risk getting expelled or into actual trouble.”

“Hmm,” Rose said, narrowing her eyes. “Well, I tried to go in there and I couldn’t, so he’s obviously put some kind of mutated Alohomora charm on the door. I’m going to the library later to see if I can find out what it is and how to disarm it.”

Albus shook his head. “I really think you’re overreacting, Rose. James is just being James. You know how he gets with Padraig, they’re probably hiding an illegal Wheezes stash in there or something.”

“We’ll see” said Rose, snatching a banana from the table and flouncing off. 

Realising Scorpius hadn’t spoken a word since Rose joined them, Albus turned back to his friend. “What was all that about? Why is she so suspicious of James? He’s always been like that.”

Scorpius shrugged. “No idea. You know how she gets. Obsessive about rule breaking.”

“Oh, really?” Albus teased, nudging Scorpius in the ribs. “Rose gets obsessive about rule breaking? Have you met yourself?”

“OK, OK” Scorpius flushed, poking Albus back. “That was the old me. Before I travelled through time and broke about fifty billion rules in one go. I’m Malfoy the Brazen now, courageously causing mischief left right and centre to save my best friend.”

“Malfoy the Brazen? That’s what you’re going with?” Albus raised his eyebrows, trying to stay serious as his lips twitched.

“Malfoy the Brazen and Albus the Brave. I thought it had a nice ring to it,” Scorpius said, holding his head high and effecting a funny voice. 

They both dissolved into giggles, Albus’s heart thumping embarrassingly loudly at how cute Scorpius was being.

“Why are you Malfoy, but I’m Albus? Wouldn’t it be Potter the Brave?” he asked, forcing himself to say something normal and not let on how much Scorpius’s silly words meant to him.

Scorpius wrinkled his nose. “I can’t call you Potter, it makes me sound like my dad speaking to your dad.”

Albus laughed again, remembering the times Draco and Harry had met over the past year. They weren’t exactly friends now, but they were making an effort. It was hilarious to watch.

“Fair enough. Hey, we should get going, it’s Care of Magical Creatures next and Hagrid wants us to check the bonfire for Knarls.”

As they stood up, Albus’s eyes swept over the Gryffindor table. He didn’t expect James to be there, or Rose wouldn’t have asked about him so openly, but he checked just in case. He really hoped James wasn’t up to something too dangerous. He didn’t think his dad could cope with any more Halloween related drama.

*****

The next morning - Halloween itself - dawned bright and early, as Albus and Scorpius woke abruptly to the sound of someone screaming nearby. 

After they’d checked nobody was getting murdered in their beds and were staring at each other in confusion, the source of the disturbance itself barrelled into the dorm from the adjacent bathroom, clutching its head.

Yarrow Parkinson was infamous at Hogwarts for having inherited his mother’s raven black hair, which usually fell in a smooth and shiny waterfall right down past his collar. Today, however, his hair wasn’t smooth or shiny at all. It wasn’t even black. It wasn’t there.

Yarrow Parkinson was bald, and from the way he was acting, it had very clearly NOT been planned.

The other boys tried to hold back their sniggers as Yarrow looked despairingly in the mirror, his pale scalp reflecting the candle flames overhead.

“Trick or treat, Yaz” snorted Montague Flint, revealing himself to be the culprit and outing Yarrow as the first victim of that year's new Halloween rules.

Yarrow howled, launching himself across the room towards Montague whilst Albus and Scorpius giggled helplessly at the sight of his naked head. 

“You’re-supposed-to-ask-me-first!” Yarrow yelped, hitting Montague on the arm repeatedly. “I’m supposed-to-choose! Make it grow back!”

Montague cackled, clearly enjoying himself. “It’ll grow back…. Eventually. Say in just… four or five years?”

He dodged out of the way as Yarrow began a fresh round of punches, doubling over with laughter as he reached the other side of the room.

“I’m joking, I’m joking! Here - lemme get my wand -”

Montague grabbed his wand and performed a complicated little flick, and all of a sudden Yarrow’s hair was back, not a strand out of place. He smiled smugly as Yarrow smoothed it between his fingers, tugging on random pieces to ensure it really was back for good.

“It’s just a spell, Mum told me about it. No lasting damage” Montague said, holding out his hand for Yarrow to shake. “No hard feelings?”

Yarrow grumbled but shook Montague’s hand, finally joining in with the laughter. “Fine. I guess it was funny. But just you wait until I get you back!”

Albus looked at Scorpius, who himself looked a bit shell shocked. They’d both expected to see some jokes and tricks, but they hadn’t actually thought about it much or planned any themselves. Albus could tell they were both now thinking the same thing - should they have prepared some ammunition, in case they needed a pay back too? Were they going to lose their hair or their clothes or maybe even a limb before breakfast?

“Come on,” said Albus, reaching for his Spiderman costume and unfolding the red and blue suit. “Lily’s meant to be meeting us outside the common room before breakfast to do your face. Did your dad send you an outfit?”

Scorpius crossed the room and carefully lifted a suit bag out of his trunk.

“Yep. Arrived yesterday. It’s one he had when he was younger and first met Mum, so it should fit.”

He unzipped the bag and Albus did all he could not to gasp. Draco had sent over the most beautiful Muggle suit Albus had ever seen, made from an incredible pale blue velvet. He could already tell it would go amazingly with Scorpius’s milky skin and blonde hair, and sure enough, it looked as though it was made for him. Scorpius was a bit taller than Draco but it otherwise fit like a glove, hugging his chest and arms and shoulders in ways that made Albus feel quite weak.

“Does it look OK?” Scorpius asked, self-consciously playing with his fringe as he waited for Albus’s opinion.

“It looks… fantastic. Really great. It’s so cool Scorp, you’re gonna look amazing. I look like an idiot” Albus groaned, gesturing at his patterned onesie. “There’s a spider on my chest and this costume leaves nothing to the imagination.”

Albus hadn’t been bothered about the tightness of the Spiderman outfit when he was younger, but now, at almost sixteen and very aware of his close proximity to his biggest crush, he felt far too exposed. He unsuccessfully tried to hide himself on the spot, realising how futile it was as Scorpius looked him up and down and grinned.

“You look so cute,” Scorpius said, and Albus blushed. Oddly, that seemed to make Scorpus blush too, but Albus figured it was just the weirdness of this situation. It was bizarre, to be dressing up like kids for a day at school.

“Let’s go downstairs,” Albus mumbled, “Lily will be waiting.”

*****

“Ohmygod Scorpius! You look amAYYzing!” Lily squealed as soon as Albus let her in to the common room. “That suit is just incredible! Is it Vivienne Westwood?”

“Errr…” Scorpius answered, looking surprised but pleased at Lily’s reaction. “I don’t know. Maybe?”

“I bet it is,” Lily said, spreading her make-up bag out on the sofa and gesturing for Scorpius to sit down. “I’ll do my best not to get any stains on it, you don’t want to Scourgify velvet. It’s never the same afterwards.”

Scorpius nodded, fingering his suit nervously. Draco had told him it didn’t matter if he got it dirty, but he didn’t want to ruin something that still held such happy memories for his dad.

As Lily deftly got to work patting white powder onto his face, Scorpius finally took a proper look at what she was wearing. It was a long purple dress with pink ties, and she’d charmed her own hair blonde. It swung over her shoulder in a fat plait, flowers woven throughout.

“Are you… a fairy? A princess?”

Lily giggled. “I’m Rapunzel, of course! From Tangled!” 

She stopped playing with her make up brushes and reached up to her shoulder, rubbing two fingers together.

To Scorpius’s surprise, a tiny little face appeared from behind her neck, blinking at him.

“Is that a newt?” Albus said, noticing and coming over for a closer look.

“Technically it’s a salamander,” Lily said easily, now dabbing eyeshadow onto Scorpius’s eyelids. “Hagrid’s letting me borrow it until tonight, when it can go back in the bonfire. Rapunzel has a chameleon, but this was the closest I could get at short notice.”

Albus and Scorpius laughed as the salamander disappeared again. Trying not to stare too closely at Scorpius with his eyes closed (his lashes really were beautiful, laying across his cheeks), Albus cast around for something else to look at.

“Lily… why have you brought a frying pan?” he asked, settling his gaze on an ancient looking iron pan on the floor. “Are you planning to be that long? Do we have to cook our own breakfast?”

“No, silly,” Lily giggled, opening up a pot of red face paint. “It’s for the costume. Remember? Rapunzel hits Flynn Rider in the face with a frying pan when he breaks into her room?”

Albus shook his head. He hadn’t really paid attention to the Muggle movies Lily stuck on over the summer, preferring instead to hole himself up in his own room and write to Scorpius whenever he wasn’t working or actually seeing Scorpius.

“Well, anyway, James got it from the kitchens the other day. The House Elves have a soft spot for him, I think they admire how much he eats. He’s just like Uncle Ron.”

Albus snorted, at least that was one mystery cleared up. He thought back to what Rose had said to them yesterday. 

“Speaking of James, do you know if he’s planning anything today? Anything… weird? Only Rose said -”

Lily rolled her eyes. “When is James NOT planning something weird,” she said, putting the finishing touches to the lightning bolt zig zagging its way down Scorpius’s face. 

Albus swallowed. Scorpius looked stunning.

“Um, yeah. Yeah, that’s what I said. It’s probably nothing.”

“Well, if you want to find out, I’d check out that old Transfiguration classroom on the fifth floor” Lily said, swiping a bold red lipstick across Scorpius’s mouth. “I overhead Padraig asking him to ‘check’ the room this morning on my way here. There. Finished!”

Lily stepped away from Scorpius with a flourish, and Albus’s stomach flipped. She’d made Scorpius look even paler, and a red and blue slash cut across his left cheek. His eyes were ringed with a pale blue shadow that matched his suit, and his lips had been transformed into a scarlet cupids bow. Albus could feel himself blushing, and he prayed he wasn’t being as obvious as he feared. Scorpius looked incredibly pretty, and Albus couldn’t believe what a bit of stage make-up was doing to his insides. His heart was hammering and he felt a bit sick.

“What do you think?” Lily asked, turning to face Albus. He fancied there was a spark of recognition in her eyes as she took in his reaction, but a second later it was gone. “Not bad, if I say so myself.”

“It’s incredible.” Albus choked out, refusing to meet Scorpius’s eyes. “Really...creative. It looks just like Bowie.”

“Does it?” Scorpius asked, sounding pleased. “Thanks so much Lily! You’re the best. The best Potter. Oh, except you can’t be, as that’s Albus - you can be the second best Potter -”

Lily laughed as she batted Scorpius’s ramblings away, turning to smirk at Albus. “Oh, don’t worry. I have no desire to take Albus’s place. Enjoy the day, you two.”

She was still smirking as she gathered her things and left, leaving Scorpius to check himself out in the mirror above the fireplace.

“Wow, Albus! This is amazing! I don’t even look like me. I wish Dad could see. Do you think anyone has a camera?”

Albus smiled, finally managing to meet Scorpius’s gaze in the reflection. “I’m sure we can find one. But first let’s go to breakfast before it’s all finished.”

“Oh yes! I want to see what everyone else is wearing!” Scorpius said gleefully, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

Albus shook his head. Even when Scorpius looked super cool and sophisticated, he couldn’t help but act like the world's biggest dork. Albus was completely gone. 

*****

They barely made it into the Great Hall without getting caught up in the chaos of the castle. Students dressed in every colour and texture and style under the sun milled around in the corridors, and the House tables were forgotten. Nobody could tell who anybody was without looking closely, and shrieks of delight peppered the atmosphere as people discovered their friends wearing the most unexpected faces. Albus spotted human sized House Elves, several mermaids, a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans and even a very convincing Dumbledore before he’d even sat down. 

A sizable chunk of the Hogwarts population had opted for Muggle costumes, and it didn’t take Rose long to find a Barack to her Michelle and for James to cheer at the sight of a Thor over on the Hufflepuff table. Scorpius received two high fives for his Bowie impersonation, and a first year Muggleborn had demanded a photo with Albus on sight - Spiderman was his hero, he’d explained excitedly, and he had been more than happy to snap a quick shot of Scorpius to send to his Dad in return. 

Albus was just about to butter his toast when Scorpius grabbed his arm with a gasp. Confused, Albus opened his mouth to ask what the hell, when Tobias Nott cut him off with a horrible gagging sound. Albus and Scorpius stared in horror as Tobias’s head swelled up opposite them, finally turning an unappetizing shade of green before there was a nasty popping sound and a bogey the size of a balloon erupted out of his nose. 

Gales of laughter spread down the Slytherin table once it became apparent that Tobias was quite alright, if embarrassed, and Albus and Scorpius quickly joined in the good natured jeering. It quickly became clear that not even their food was safe, and Albus spent a good five minutes scrutinizing the butter whilst Scorpius whispered quick diagnostic charms over his usual vat of porridge. Luckily, both were deemed to be edible, and they scarfed down as much as they could whilst all across the Hall friends pranked and jinxed each other to their heart's content.

Sparing a glance at the teacher’s table, Albus couldn’t help feel sorry for what the Professors had in store - if his schoolmates were this rowdy at eight thirty in the morning, there really was no hope for the rest of the day.

As they made their way out of the Hall a few minutes later they spotted Padraig - dressed as Captain America, naturally - bumble through the doors and make a beeline for James. He looked extremely stressed, and as Albus turned to watch, he and James seemed to start a quiet but furious argument over an unsuspecting fruit platter. 

Frowning, Albus turned away, thinking hard. If what Rose and Lily said was true, and James and Padraig had both been hanging around outside that fifth floor classroom and taking it in turns to watch or ‘check on’ whatever was in there, then whatever they were planning must be big. And possibly temperamental. And if Padraig was now anxious enough to fight with James about it, there was a very good chance something had gone wrong - or at least, was behaving unexpectedly.

Albus made up his mind on the spot. He was going to go and check out what was going on. 

If James was in some sort of trouble, then Albus would be able to find out and get help before things got too bad or risky. James would never back out of a plan, and Albus had lived through too many instances of when that stubbornness and introspection backfired. He couldn’t bear it if James got himself in danger, and he didn’t even want to think about how the rest of his family would react. 

He did know, however, exactly what Scorpius would say if Albus mentioned wanting to hare off up to the fifth floor and insert himself into whatever chaotic unknown was up there. They’d both had enough adventures to last a lifetime, and this whole day was supposed to be an acknowledgement of and reprieve from the stress. But Albus couldn’t just leave it now he’d seen what he’d seen. 

He’d have to go alone.

He’d shake Scorpius off, tell him he needed the bathroom after Transfiguration and that he’d meet him in the library for their break. He’d run up to the fifth floor, check that James hadn’t really got a rampant dragon or something of that ilk locked away, and be back with Scorpius before his friend had a chance to get suspicious. 

And if it turned out James _did_ need help with whatever it was, well, Albus wouldn’t hesitate to run to McGonagall this time. He swore it.

*****

Transfiguration passed as smoothly as could be expected for a class run by the Headmistress. Nobody dared to do anything too outlandish in front of her, and so whilst there were a handful of quills turning into liquorice wands and chair legs disappearing as soon as someone sat down, the majority of students made it through the hour relatively unscathed. 

As soon as the charmed bell rang for the end of the period, Albus shoved his ink and parchment into his bag and stood up. 

“Need the bathroom - I’ll meet you in the library, OK?” he mumbled in Scorpius’s vague direction, hoping to have surprised his friend enough that Scorpius wouldn’t question it or follow him. He didn’t wait to hear a reply, crossing his fingers that Scorpius would just assume he’d eaten something that disagreed with him.

Quickening his footsteps, Albus ducked and dodged his fellow students and a handful of bats as he fought his way up to the fifth floor. The fact that he hadn’t heard anyone talk about James or Padraig on his way did little to reassure him - knowing his brother, he predicted that James would try and pull a monster trick off at lunch or just before dinner, wanting to cause as much chaos as possible. 

Albus panted as he finally reached the fifth floor, luckily - or suspiciously? - finding it completely deserted. He’d half expected to find James or Padraig themselves hanging around, but he was glad he hadn’t. He and James might get on better now, but he’d bet all the sweets in Scorpius’s Honeydukes stash that James would brush him off and not let him near whatever it was he was hiding in the empty classroom.

As Albus approached the door, he remembered what Rose had said about going to the library to research locking and unlocking charms. Smiling slightly, he pulled his wand out of his pocket and affected a complicated little wiggle, whispering arcana revelare under his breath. Four summers spent in part at Scorpius’s house had taught him all manner of non-curriculum approved unlocking spells, given the number of charms and enchantments around the Manor. 

He was rewarded with a soft click, echoing down the corridor as he hurriedly but gently pushed the door open. He hadn’t really planned beyond this moment, so had no idea what to expect - but he had his wand, and he was confident that James wouldn’t bring something genuinely hazardous or life threatening into a castle filled with his professors and peers. 

Looking around, Albus was momentarily confused. The classroom looked just like he expected an unused classroom to look - dusty, undisturbed, and full of spider webs. There was no illegal stash of Wheezes products, no baby dragon, no weird crossbred carnivorous tentacula - nothing Albus had imagined might be here. 

Just as he was about to turn away, thinking he’d either got the wrong end of the stick or that James or Padraig had already moved whatever it was, the cupboard in the corner shook with an ominous clatter. Albus froze.

Seconds later, the cupboard wobbled again. As Albus stared at it, locked in place a few feet away, the handle itself began to rattle, as if someone on the other side was desperate to get out. Albus gripped his wand tightly and tried to brace himself, his mind running at ninety miles an hour through every defensive spell he knew. Would a shield be enough? Would the creature or whatever it was try and attack him, or would it be focused on escaping? He’d left the door to the classroom open behind him, and although he was glad to have a way out himself, he cursed himself for giving this thing a clear path to the rest of the school.

With a final loud jolt, the door of the cupboard banged open, and Albus stared into the face of himself.

Not just himself - Scorpius was there too. 

If Albus didn’t know for sure that Scorpius would be holed up in the library now, he’d think he was going mad. As it was, he knew that whatever he was looking at must be some kind of mirage or duplicate spell, intended to confuse and trick him - because of course, they were playing trick or treat -

Albus was about to cast a reducto and be done with it when his twin self suddenly reached out and grabbed fake-Scorpius’s hand. That Albus pulled Scorpius towards him, spinning him on the spot and placing his other hand on Scorpius’s waist. Then, as Albus watched in dawning horror, the other him leaned up and kissed Scorpius on the lips.

Before the scarlet blush could finish spreading across the real Albus’s cheeks, Scorpius pulled back from Albus’s alter-ego and wiped his mouth, a look of disgust on his face. The other Albus looked as heartbroken and devastated as the real one felt as Scorpius gestured furiously at him then turned on the spot and stormed off.

A split second later, Albus heard someone behind him do exactly the same thing. Spinning round, he caught sight of another Scorpius - the actual Scorpius - throw himself out of the classroom and practically run away down the corridor.

 _Shit_. 

_What?_

Albus’s brain tried desperately to catch up with his eyes. If Scorpius, the real Scorpius, had been there the whole time - (Albus hadn’t heard him come in the room, but of course Scorpius would have known where he was going. Of course he’d have followed. And of course Albus had been too busy listening to the rattle of the cupboard to pick up any sounds behind him) - then that meant he’d seen exactly what Albus had seen.

He’d seen the fake Albus kissing him, and he’d seen himself hating it and leaving. And instead of sticking around to question and reassure the real Albus, he’d run off as well. That pretty much made his feelings crystal clear. 

The Boggart - for now Albus had realised what it was - had shown him his deepest fear, and it really had come true.

Not only had he apparently just lost any hope of becoming something more with Scorpius, it looked like he’d also lost his best friend over it.

*****

Albus couldn’t remember how he’d got himself from the fifth floor classroom back down to his dormitory. 

After riddikulus-ing the Boggart he’d stumbled away from the cabinet in a daze, his brain fixating on the images of the fake Scorpius and the real Scorpius running away from him. It was a nightmare, a double sucker punch - not only had Albus had to face up to his fear with no warning or preparation, he’d also had to see it play out in real time straight afterwards. 

His limbs felt like lead and his chest squeezed as he pulled his pillow even closer, curling up on top of his covers.

He wasn’t even sure what time it was now. He’d missed the rest of the mornings classes and probably lunch too, given how much his traitorous stomach was rumbling. How could he be hungry, with a broken heart? Nobody had come back to the room since he’d arrived though, which was a blessed relief. He hadn’t felt like explaining his absence, or being the unwitting victim of another trick. He’d had enough surprises for one day.

He also couldn’t believe that James had brought a Boggart into the school - where in Merlin’s name had he even got a Boggart? Presumably London, but why? And how? Albus knew James loved to joke, and often took things a bit far - but this really deserved a biscuit.

Vaguely, Albus wondered where Scorpius was, and if he’d been to class, or if he’d told anyone what he’d seen. He couldn’t imagine Scorpius knowing there was an undocumented Boggart in the school and not informing a teacher, but then again, Scorpius had looked as shocked and horrified as Albus when he’d left the room. Perhaps he too was hiding away, willing his former best friend to leave him alone now the true nature of Albus’s feelings had been revealed. Revealed and very much not reciprocated.

Albus groaned as he heard the distinct sound of the dormitory door creak open, before a pair of light footsteps crossed the threshold. His bed hangings were drawn, but that would only make it even more obvious he was in there. If this was Scorpius, Albus prayed he’d take the hint and leave. Albus wasn’t sure he could cope with seeing Scorpius’s face again so soon.

Seconds later, the soft footsteps stopped right next to his bed. Albus squeezed his eyes shut as the hangings were drawn back, and someone sighed. Someone who smelled very familiar. Someone like…

“Lily?” Albus croaked, opening one eye and squinting up at his sister “What are you doing? How did you get in here?”

“Some second years let me in, I told them it was a life of death situation. I think they believed me,” Lily said, her arms folded across her chest. “Why are you in bed? Are you ill?”

“No,” mumbled Albus. He wondered how much she already knew, and how much to tell her. “Mm fine.”

“Well you’re clearly not fine, as I heard from three different people that you skipped class today, and I couldn’t see you OR Scorpius at lunch. I got worried. I thought maybe you’d… done something weird again.”

Being Lily, she didn’t look at all abashed at her accusation. Albus tried to feel offended, but couldn’t quite muster the necessary emotions.

“No. I’m just… tired. Just tired. I had a headache so I thought I’d come and lie down, I must have fallen asleep,” Albus lied, praying she couldn’t detect how unsure he sounded.

“Hmm,” Lily said, and Albus could tell she was frowning. “Then why isn’t Scorpius here? You two are usually attached at the hip when you’re both well, if you were actually feeling ill he’d be right here making sure you didn’t expire.”

Albus sighed. The problem with Lily was that she was far too clever and perceptive for her own good.

“He’s… I dunno, probably in class? You know how much of a nerd he is. Why aren’t you in class anyway?” Albus desperately hoped he’d deflected the question. 

No such luck.

“Nice try, but I have a free period. And the only thing Scorpius loves more than lessons is you, so again, why isn’t he holed up in here too?”

Albus sighed. Lily really wasn’t going to leave this alone. And dressed as she was, it was like being interrogated by an angry Barbie.

“Scorpius doesn’t love me. That’s.. that’s kind of the problem.”

Shit. Albus hadn’t meant to say that. He kept his eyes very carefully trained on the other side of the room, looking past Lily so he couldn’t see her reaction.

“So… you worked it out then?” she said, her voice measured and even.

“What?” Albus glanced up, immediately regretting it as he took in Lily’s smirk. She’d clearly got the wrong end of the stick.

“You finally worked out how you felt about him! You’ve been mooning after him for years, it’s about time. But there’s no need to hide from him - he clearly feels the same.”

Albus couldn’t stand Lily’s smug tone and he sat up suddenly, shoving his pillow towards her.

“He doesn’t feel the same - you have no idea what you’re talking about. He - I - he ran - I didn’t even - it was -” 

To his horror, Albus started crying. He furiously tried to wipe his tears away as Lily sat down next to him, putting her arms around his shoulders and pulling him close.

“Albus, what are you talking about? What happened? There’s no way Scorpius doesn’t feel the same way, I’ve seen the way he looks at you when he thinks you aren’t looking -”

“But I’ve seen the way he looked at me when he found out how I felt,” cried Albus, sobbing even harder into Lily’s shoulder. “He hates me. He was disgusted. He ran away. It’s all over.”

“Wait,” Lily said, pulling away and holding Albus at arms length, forcing him to look at her head on. “What do you mean he found out? Did you not tell him?”

“Not - not exactly,” Albus admitted, sniffing loudly. “He - he kind of… saw something that gave it away, and then he… he left.”

“What gave it away? What did you do?” Lily looked as confused as Albus felt, and he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t know how to explain without getting James into trouble, so sod it. It was going to come out, and Lily was only Lily. James was their sibling. They’d never been able to keep secrets from each other for too long.

“There was… there was a Boggart. In that classroom on the fifth floor?” 

Lily’s eyes widened with understanding. “I’m going to kill James” she whispered, not taking her gaze away from Albus. She gestured for him to go on.

“So… I went in before break, just to see what it was, I didn’t know it was a Boggart at first, and it showed… it showedmekissingscorpiusandhimrunningaway,” Albus finished, feeling embarrassed talking about kissing with his younger sister. Lily, of course, had no such hang ups.

“So Boggart you kissed Boggart him and Boggart him ran away? That doesn’t prove anything, that’s just your own fear, the real Scorpius would never -”

“ _No_ Lily, you don’t understand - the real Scorpius saw it. He came looking for me and he saw the scene. The - the kissing. And then he turned and ran away too. So it IS true. He doesn’t like me that way, he doesn’t even like me as a friend anymore.”

Fresh tears threatened to leak and Albus looked down, unable to bear the pity in his sister’s reply.

“Oh my god, Albus, you’re so thick” Lily said instead, sounding inexplicably excited and exasperated. Albus snapped his head up and stared at her, uncomprehending.

“You think Scorpius saw your Boggart,” Lily said, and now she was practically bouncing up and down where she sat. “But how can he have? Boggarts change to reflect a person’s worst fear - and so when Scorpius came in after you, the Boggart will have changed into his worst fear. But if you didn’t notice it swap, then that means…”

“We have the same worst fear?” Albus guessed, nonplussed. “How does that even work? Why would Scorpius be scared of us kissing - unless - OH!”

“OH indeed!” Lily repeated, her face shining with glee. “Albus, you get it, don’t you? Scorpius probably saw the same Boggart, just the other way around - him kissing you and you running away. You just didn’t notice the characters change that subtly as you were too busy looking at the real him. And the real him ran away because he’ll have seen your face like a slapped arse!”

“Oh my god,” Albus said, fear and hope and delight and panic rising up through his stomach into his chest. “Oh my god. So he thinks - he thinks I don’t like him - and I’ve been in here all day avoiding him - which will just make it seem even more like I hate him - oh my god. Lily. I need to find him.”

“Luckily for you, it’s dinner time soon,” Lily said, eyes dancing. “Even Scorpius wouldn’t miss the Halloween Feast, you know how he gets about the puddings. Come down and talk to him then.”

“I can’t talk to him in front of the whole school,” Albus exploded, his heart still racing. “I need to find - I need to speak -”

“Calm down, Albus, Merlin. OK. Let’s think about it. Where would Scorpius go, if he wanted to be alone?”

Albus thought. “The Library, probably, or if that was too busy, the Astronomy Tower. Or Hagrids.”

“Right. So check those places, see if he’s hanging around. And if he’s not in any of those places, he probably really is in class.”

“OK,” Albus said, standing up and wiping his eyes. “OK. I’ll try those, and if he’s not there, I’ll just go to dinner. And we can talk afterwards. OK. Lily, I don’t - how - thank you -”

“It’s fine, Al” Lily said softly, smiling at her brother. “This is what siblings are for.”

Albus hugged her. Lily was surprised but pleased; of the three of them, Albus had traditionally been the least tactile. The only person she’d ever seen him get physically close to was Scorpius.

“Speaking of siblings,” she said a moment later as they walked out of the dormitory together, “Someone’s got to have a word with James. A _Boggart_. What was he thinking?”

*****

Albus said goodbye to Lily in the Entrance Hall as she headed back to Gryffindor Tower to enjoy the rest of her free period, whilst Albus made his way towards the library. He was glad the majority of the school were still in class, it meant the corridors were quiet and there were no tricks ready and waiting to trip him up. He was focused solely on finding Scorpius and couldn’t have dealt with any distractions.

As he walked, his head spun. Could he really be right? Or was he just hoping too hard? Lily had agreed with him, but now he was on his own, the whole thing seemed a bit far fetched. Albus wished he’d paid more attention to what was going on around him at the time, but the image of the real Scorpius running out of the classroom was still playing on loop in his mind. Had the Boggart really changed for him? Did Scorpius really have the same fear?

There was only one way to find out.

Luckily, the Library was almost deserted, and Albus crept through the aisles of books towards the far left corner. He and Scorpius always sat there when they came to do homework, enjoying the fact it was far away from the main grouping of tables and right next to the stained glass windows. 

Although he’d hoped Scorpius would be there, he hadn’t really expected to come across him so soon, and so when he saw a familiar blonde head bent over a piece of parchment, Albus froze. He wanted so desperately to speak to Scorpius, but now he was here, he didn’t have a clue how to start the conversation.

Albus was so focused on what to say that he didn’t look where he was going and cursed himself as he walked into the back of a chair. Scorpius looked up at the sound, twisting his head around. He saw Albus and just as quickly looked away again, but not before Albus caught the blush not quite hidden by all the paint on his friend's face.

Taking a deep breath, Albus made his way round to the far side of the table and sat down opposite Scorpius. His fingers played nervously with each other in his lap and he watched Scorpius stare determinedly down at his parchment, though a quick glance showed Albus there was nothing important written there.

“Scorpius,” Albus said, relieved to hear his voice sounded calmer than he felt. “How come you’re not in class?”

Albus knew he was being a hypocrite, but it was the only thing he could come up with. Scorpius just shrugged, still refusing to meet Albus’s eyes.

“Why did you follow me earlier?” Albus asked, making a split second decision to get straight to it. He wasn’t sure where his sudden confidence was coming from, but he’d take it. He had to work this out, for both of them.

Scorpius shrugged again, blushing even more. He kept his gaze trained on the table, and spoke quietly. 

“You were acting weird. I got curious.”

Albus nodded. He’d known deep down that Scorpius would never have fallen for his ‘I really need the bathroom’ act. 

There was a painfully long, awkward pause as Albus worked up the courage to continue.

“And what did… what did you see? In the classroom?” 

This was excruciating, and Albus was simultaneously desperate for Scorpius to answer and begging him to stay silent.

Finally, Scorpius lifted up his head. His eyes were red and shiny and his make up was all smudged, and Albus’s heart squeezed at the thought of Scorpius crying. He resisted the urge to reach out and grab his friends hands, needing to know if he and Lily had been on the right track first.

Scorpius swallowed. He met Albus’s eyes for a split second before looking off to the left, out of the window. It was almost dark already.

“I saw… us. Me and you. I - you - I made a mistake, and I’m sorry. I can’t help my feelings, but I won’t act on them. I promise. I’m sorry it made you feel weird.”

Albus’s heart was in his throat. He was now almost certain that he was right, but he needed to be absolutely sure. He couldn’t risk any further miscommunication.

“Just to be clear… which one of us kissed the other?” Albus asked, crossing his fingers under the table. He was pretty sure his blush now matched Scorpius’s.

Scorpius looked utterly miserable as he whispered his answer.

“I kissed you. And I saw exactly how you felt about it, and I’ve said I’m sorry, so if you’re just here to torture me even more then -”

Albus cut Scorpius off with a weird strangled cry. He couldn’t help but grin, and smiled even harder as Scorpius took in his expression and looked even more confused.

“Albus, what -”

Albus stood up and went round to Scorpius’s side of the table, pulling up a new chair so he was as close as he could be to his best friend. Scorpius leant back slightly, a questioning look in his eyes. Albus did what he’d been wanting to do ever since he’d got there, and reached out to grab Scorpius’s hands in his.

“Scorpius, we each saw the same Boggart. Just the opposite way around. You saw yourself kiss me, but I saw… I saw me kiss you. And then YOU ran off. So I thought…”

Albus saw comprehension dawn on Scorpius’s face. His eyes widened and his painted mouth dropped into a small ‘oh’. Albus smiled again, appreciating for the first time how mental it was to be having this conversation whilst dressed as David Bowie and Spiderman respectively. 

“Oh, wow. Ok. Have… have we both just been really, really stupid?” Scorpius asked, holding his breath as though he couldn’t quite believe it.

“Well, we are good at overreacting,” Albus joked, his stomach fizzing from talking about their feelings. He’d hadn’t ever really dared hope they’d reach this point, and even though this definitely wasn’t how he’d imagined it going down, he wouldn’t have changed it for the world. They were sitting so close that Albus could smell Scorpius with every breath he took; a heady mix of pepper imps and wax and lemons, and Albus felt like his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

Scorpius grinned so hard Albus thought his face might split in two, and he squeezed Albus’s hands. Albus took this as a sign, and before he had time to overthink it or back out, he leaned forward and closed his eyes, brushing his lips ever so gently against Scorpius’s. 

Their first kiss was sweet and brief, and Scorpius’s lips were softer than Albus had expected. Shinier too, what with the lipstick, which tasted weird - but Albus, who didn’t have anything to compare it to anyway, thought it was the best kiss in the history of kissing.

After a few seconds they broke apart, Scorpius breathing fast and trembling slightly. Albus leaned his forehead against Scorpius’s, watching the reflected lamplight dance in his friends eyes. They smiled at each other again, still holding hands.

“OK?” whispered Albus, noting how his voice shook slightly.

“Utterly wizzo,” Scorpius replied, laughing as Albus groaned.

“Before you said that, I was going to kiss you again, but now -”

Scorpius cut him off with a kiss of his own, harder and more desperate than Albus’s had been. 

They stayed like that until the distant sound of the end of day bell echoed through the shelves, indicating that they might very soon be joined by the rest of the school. Reluctantly they broke apart, still marvelling at this new version of themselves. 

Scorpius hurriedly shoved his things in his bag before grabbing Albus’s hand again, and together, they set off to return to the dungeons for a bit before dinner. It had been a rollercoaster of a day - a rollercoaster of a year, really - but they both finally felt as though they were where they were meant to be. And, despite their costumes, _who_ they were meant to be. They might not have a label for it yet - they were clearly more than friends, but not quite boyfriends - but they’d work that bit out. They always worked things out.

*****

Later that night, as the majority of the school stood out in the grounds to watch the fireworks and enjoy Hagrid’s bonfire, Scorpius scooted even closer to Albus. They’d not bothered to hide their new level of closeness, figuring that they weren’t ashamed of being together and so didn’t mind who saw. In fact, most people had barely even noticed anything about them had changed, as they were so used to seeing the two of them come as a pair anyway. 

Rose had spotted them holding hands on their way into the Great Hall for dinner and rolled her eyes before grinning at them both, mouthing “about time” from where she was sitting on the Gryffindor table. Lily had come to find Albus after dessert, desperate to know if he’d found Scorpius and worked things out - she’d taken one look at them snuggled up together on the bench and squealed, immediately wrapping them both in a huge hug. Albus had then explained to Scorpius that it had been Lily who helped him realise what had happened, and Scorpius had upgraded Lily on the spot to join-favourite Potter. 

Lily also told them both that she’d spoken to James, and it turned out that he’d actually not been trying to cause trouble with the Boggart. He’d been intending to invite people up to the old classroom at lunch to face their fears in a safe and controlled way, getting the idea from an old Defence lesson their dad had once told them about. Apparently, choosing between doing a trick and a treat was too mainstream - James being James wanted to do both in one go. He and Padraig had got the Boggart from a place in Knockturn Alley last weekend, where they'd found it living in an old trunk. They’d figured that it was better for everyone involved if they took it and turned it into something good, rather than let it fester in a shop full of Dark Arts.

Albus had been strangely touched at this, chiding himself for immediately thinking the worst of James. It was clear his brother’s heart had been in the right place, and Albus reminded himself not to underestimate or make assumptions of people. That’s what had got him and Scorpius into pretty much all of their messes in the first place, including todays - although he couldn’t be mad at either of them, or James, for this one. Not when it had such a happy ending. 

It had been an unconventional way of getting together, that was for sure, but it suited them down to the ground. And now they’d always have a much happier memory of Halloween, and a positive anniversary to celebrate. Looking around, Albus felt overwhelmed with love - for Scorpius, Lily, James, Hogwarts, the autumn and his life in that moment. 

As they watched hundreds of Weasleys Whizz Bangs pop and scream and explode above their heads, Albus squeezed Scorpius’s hand again. It was going to be a really good night.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on instagram @roonil_b_wazlib or on tumblr by searching "roonilbwazlib" :)


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